Less is more

Sometimes less is more.

I've been watching the Sky portrait artist of the year vids on YouTube and feeling inspired and intimidated in equal measure. 

I set out to do this portrait thinking it would require a lot of refining, that I would cover up a lot and re-do just about everything. Instead, I popped a couple of blobs down for the eyes, thinking I would use those blobs to give me a hint of placement, but when I stood back, it felt like I had somehow - miraculously! - captured enough for my brain to tell me that it was an eye. So I am calling it done. There isn't much of a likeness, but I like it as a piece as it stands.

 

Book forms

 

I thought it would be a fun project to work my way through Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden. I've made several books out of it before, but now I'm working through from the beginning, starting with the easiest forms, made from a single sheet of paper. 

So far I've worked through X-book, X-book with pockets, Ox-plow pamphlet, simple accordion, simple accordion with tunnel, snake book, storybook theatre, twist card, brush book, T-cut book, house card, guest book, and crown binding. Some I would definitely make again. Some had instructions that weren't that clear to me (plus one that seemed to have a typo in the size instructions as the size given really didn't work), but I eventually worked it out. So now my book has pencil notes in it ready for next time. 

Next I shall be tackling the slot and tab book. It's looking like an interesting week ahead as I try out new forms and work out how they could be used in Christmas and Easter projects.

What's your favourite book form? 

Speaking up

To be heard you need to speak up, maybe several times. 

It's no good hoping that people know what you're thinking. If you want to be heard, you have to speak. If it's something you really want to be heard, you may have to speak up several times. People don't always hear us the first time, especially if they don't feel that what you're saying is relevant to them. 

So if it's important to you, speak up!

Filling in the details

A suggestion can be enough for us to fill in the details - but are they correct?

Once I painted on the black lines, I couldn't help but see a bird on this page. So I filled in the detail by putting an eye on it. 

How often do we have half a story that looks a particular way to us, and then we fill in the details to make our idea more solid? This is how rumours and gossip start. We don't have the whole story, but we don't let it stop us from passing on the information. Others then put their own details on to it and before you know it, a blob has become a bird and taken flight.

In art, letting our minds fill in the details - using our imagination - is good. But in life, holding back until we know the full picture is more caring.

Shoes

Wear the right shoes.

We all know when we are wearing the wrong shoes - when they pinch, rub, and are just darned uncomfortable. This might be because the fit is bad, or you may be trying to climb a mountain in stilettos. 

There are ill-fitting shoes and there are unsuitable shoes. Both of those things are important if you want to make progress on your journey.

So are you going to worry about 'looking good' or are you going to put on that not so fashionable footwear and make sure to be comfortable and serviceable as you navigate life?